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#3 The water is filthy, there's no tradition of soap, and they wipe their bottoms with their left hands; I do not doubt the minister's testimony. Mr. Wife's first six months in Cairo -- during which he enjoyed alternating food poisoning and dysentery, and lost something like thirty pounds -- were very educational: he learnt that past his lips must go no meat, no salads, bottled water in sealed bottles only that he opened himself, no ice, brush teeth with bottled water only... or liquor, but bread, beer, beans, and unpeeled fruits that he peeled himself were reasonably safe

#7 You know ... here I was this morning sipping on my coffee and just wondering to myself if Egypt was really being run by a bunch of idiotic bigots. Then this article pops up on the news. Well - that sure clears things up.

#10 There are actually safe places you can eat in India, if you can tolerate every dish starting with a half kilo of crushed green chili's.

Mr. Wife loved his time in India -- it's one of his favourite countries, SAM. He brought me home a cookbook. The only other county he brought me a cookbook from was Greece.

He only once got sick in India: amoebic dysentery, for which he spent two weeks in hospital in Bhopal, with his colleagues considerately calling me every day to lie about his condition. But he probably picked that up by touching a surface contaminated with spores, which float through the air over there from the desiccated fecal matter in the streets. Fortunately, India has the world's experts on such things as well, and they sent Mr. Wife home to me cured. One day I would love to go over there and thank them all personally.

As for cookbooks, saw one once in the remainder bin titled "You've Had Worse Things In Your Mouth". (memorable due to the enormous black woman clad only in a apron on the the cover) I'm guessing they never sold it in Egypt.

#13 He only once got sick in India: amoebic dysentery, for which he spent two weeks in hospital in Bhopal, with his colleagues considerately calling me every day to lie about his condition.

I've had that, among a few other things over there. Nearly killed me. And the course of three powerful antibiotics wreaked havoc on my natural intestinal flora.

Oh yes, the dessicated fecal matter, what a refined way to express it. Will be back in New Delhi in a month. Can't wait. There's a little place in East Patel Nagar where the beer is COLD and the curry is incendiary. It hurts so good.

#15 I've had that, among a few other things over there. Nearly killed me

Amoebic dysentary nearly killed Mr. Wife, too. Trailing daughter #1 and I came home from visiting friends to find my darling mother-in-law sitting in the corner of the living room in the dark, praying. He'd called her to say his goodbyes before they took him to the hospital, just in case. He assumed the sudden, heavy anal blood flow was a bad sign, for some reason... But Daddy looked up the doctor handling his case, and said he was the best in the world for tropical diseases, so I gave over worrying.

Think of us as you enjoy the wonderful food, my dear. Mr. Wife loved his time there.